European Public Health Alliance: EPHA warns that health priorities must not be forgotten in the new, streamlined Semester process
Whereas the Country Reports contained some of the most detailed and prescriptive assessments made to date, the scope and depth of the Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) has been reduced to 2011/12 levels, when recommendations made were vague, brief and, in the case of health, issued to only a handful of member states. This change reflects the Commission’s new approach, aimed at increasing ownership and implementation by focusing on a smaller range of key issue areas.
Whilst European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) supports the goals of the Semester revision, in its extensive analyses of the 2015 Country Reports and CSRs, it urges the Commission to ensure that the Semester is equipped to support the social, as well as the economic, sustainability of member states. In particular, EPHA notes that the Semester – and in particular the CSRs – should take full account of the Health in All Policies (HiAP) principle to ensure that all recommendations work for the benefit of health and that all available levers are utilised in the fight to improve the health outcomes of Europeans.
“The value of disease prevention and health promotion should not be overlooked in the battle to curb expenditure,” noted EPHA Secretary-General Nina Renshaw. “A shift to recommendations which can be visibly implemented is welcome but should not entail a narrowing of focus to areas where cost reduction can be easily measured at the expense of holistic, whole-system reform.”
Most crucially, EPHA urges that the Semester continue to maintain strong linkages with the Europe 2020 strategy and to institutionalise dialogue between stakeholders, including the European Parliament, national parliaments, social partners and civil society. Genuine ownership and implementation can only grow from an inclusive preparation and drafting process.
